‘Attempted theft’ of cables hits services on Metro’s Red Line

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Saturday said that services between the Shahdara and Dilshad Garden stations on the Red Line of Delhi Metro were delayed throughout Saturday due to an attempted cable theft. Normal services are likely to resume by Sunday, it added.

Officials said that the trains were running at a restricted speed of 25kmph between the Jhilmil and Mansarovar Park Metro stations on both up and down lines. The attempted cable theft took place on this section in the early hours of Saturday, leading to the damage of signalling cables, they added.

“Undertaking repair work on the affected section during operational hours would have completely halted services in that section. So, to avoid inconvenience to passengers, it was decided that trains would run at a restricted speed of 25kmph between Dilshad Garden and Shahdara stations throughout the day,” said DMRC spokesperson.

He said that restoration work would be carried out on Saturday night after the train services end, and added that access to the tracks will be provided to replace the cables that have been damaged during the attempted theft.

“Replacement of cables is a time-taking process that requires full access to the tracks without any train movement. Passengers are being informed regularly through announcements at the stations and inside the trains on the Red Line during this period. Updates are also being provided through social media,” said the spokesperson.

The Red Line connects Rithala in Delhi to New Bus Adda in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. It was the first line of the Delhi Metro that was constructed, and currently has interchanges with the Yellow, Violet, Pink and Green lines.